…Orders purchase of ventilators

By Therese Nanlong

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong has visited the isolation facilities in Jos, the State capital to ascertain their level of preparedness in handling the COVID-19 disease in the event of any confirmed incident in the State.

The facilities visited include the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, the Bingham University Teaching Hospital, BUTH, Jankwano, Jos, the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos, Plateau Public Health Emergency Centre, Lugard Road, Jos, which are the centres earmarked for isolation.

At JUTH, he was received by the Chief Medical Director, Professor Edward Banwat, who took the Governor round the facilities. At the Isolation Unit, Banwat disclosed that the facility has capacity for 20 patients at a time with room for expansion but however added that the facility has only two respirators which are grossly inadequate and this prompted Governor Lalong to direct for immediate acquisition of four additional ventilators to increase the capacity of the facility.

The Governor also inspected the laboratory for production of hand sanitizers at the hospital where he was told that they have the capacity to meet the demands of the State and beyond.

At the Plateau Public Health Emergency Centre, the Governor, was shown the tracking capacity covering the 17 Local Government Areas of the State and at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital, he was taken round by the Chief Medical Director, Professor Edwin Isiegbe who said the centre has a capacity for 10 patients and is in need of equipment and consumables such as ventilators, respirators.

The CMD also took the Governor round the infectious disease facility being constructed by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control in the Teaching Hospital which he said would increase the capacity of the institution to handle such cases and the Governor promised to provide two ventilators for the Centre and also assist the hospital build capacity for effective response.

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At the Plateau Specialist Hospital Governor Lalong was received by the Chief Medical Director Dr. Philemon Golwa who informed him that the facility has capacity for 20 beds with room for expansion also informed him the centre is faced with the challenges of ventilators, respirators and manpower, which the Governor promised to address as he directed the purchase of two ventilators for the centre.

Speaking with Journalists shortly after the inspection, Governor Lalong expressed satisfaction with what he saw, saying “we thank God that so far, we do not have any confirmed case in Plateau State, yet we have to prepare ahead looking at what is happening in other States and outside the country. We shall do everything possible to ramp up our capacity to respond effectively as we did with Ebola and with lassa fever which we have contained very well.”

The Governor however appealed to the citizens to cooperate with the directives of Government relating to ban on large gatherings and closure of schools as well as imbibe personal hygiene, warning that the Government will not hesitate to deal decisively with anybody who violates the directives aimed at protecting the citizens of the State from the disease.

Vanguard